I bought a gold Highlander Hybrid two years ago, and have been rear-ended three times since then (the first time a week after we got the car). All three times occurred in crowded driving conditions during rush hour on highways. The first two times involved sudden slowdowns. The third, we were already going slow, and the guy behind me just plowed into me for no apparent reason.

So I was feeling rather picked-upon, like there's one of those "Hit Me" signs pasted on my rear bumper that only other drivers can see.

Then I came up with this theory: SUVs, being bigger, make it harder to see the car in front of the car in front of you. So you can't get the extra warning of brake lights further down the road that might make you slow down before the car in front of you slows down. If you have less time to react, then boom! You are more likely to rearend the car in front of you, especially if you are in a lower car (two of the cars that ran into me were low, but one was also an SUV)